We were at the allotment at the weekend and Jemima, being a lover of all fruits, was going round asking which berries she was allowed to pick. She set about the redcurrant bush and before I knew it she’d filled a tub full of red currants…and along with the red ones there were green ones and all shades in between.

On the whole they were not quite ripe enough to pick but Jemima’s enthusiasm was hard to contain. We also don’t net our fruit for fear of trapping birds and if we had left them on the bushes for longer a lot would probably have been eaten.

So I took my large tub of under ripe redcurrants home and put them on a window sill, with the lid loosely fitted and left them for a couple of days. Hey presto! They all ripened beautifully and so I will probably pick them early again next year.

For super speedy berry picking why not try the handy Berry Picker. Available in two sizes it allows you to harvest the fruit up to ten times faster than usual.

I decided to make some redcurrant jam with my bumper harvest. It was so easy to make and extremely delicious.

Ingredients

600g red currants
900g sugar
600 ml water

Method

Wash the redcurrants and remove any stems

Put them in a pan with the sugar and water

Stir well

Bring to the boil

Allow to boil for a few minutes until the fruit begins to soften

Reduce the heat and simmer gently until the mixture begins to thicken

Take a teaspoon of the mixture and place on a saucer to cool. If a thin skin forms on the top which crinkles when cut through with a knife, the jam is ready

Poor into clean glass jam jars, seal with a lid and store ready for use.

The school competition was won by the Shinewater Primary School Eco Committee and the winner of our family competition was Grace Ellett and Grand mum Phyllis. Well done we do hope you enjoy your prizes, and thanks to everyone else who entered.

If you would like a chance to win, why not enter our competitions for July. For all the details click here for Families and here for Schools. This month we have some wonderful wildlife goodies up for grabs. Good luck with your entry!

With this spell of lovely weather looking set to stay during July and August, we thought this tip of the day from Friends of the Earth was particularly appropriate…

Consider buying a water butt to catch rainfall that you can later use to water your plants. It’s more planet-friendly than using tap water, which has to go through energy-intensive purification to make it drinkable. The plants won’t mind if you save rain for them instead.

July is here and so are our new competitions! Take a look, and get your entry to us for a chance to win some lovely wildlife prizes!

School Competition for July

With only a few weeks left until the end of term we know how busy you all must be. So we have made the July competition very quick and easy to enter. Just send in a photo of some gardening in your school or nursery garden. The top shots will appear on our blog, and the very best of the bunch will win a fabulous Bumber Bird Feeding Bundle. Perfect for encouraging birds into the garden during the autumn term, it will include:

Friends of the Earth came up with this great idea for helping others and the environment during the summer holidays…

“Don’t pack loads of toys for your trip. Instead, when you arrive at your holiday destination, go into the local charity shop and buy some toys. Let the kids play with them on holiday and then before you leave donate them back. Think of it like a toy library while helping a charity make some money.”

For this months family competition we would like to hear of anything you are up to over the summer to help others or the environment where you live….. Maybe you’re starting to recycle your rainwater, growing flowers for butterflies or perhaps volunteering with a local wildlife group….

Whatever you are up to, tell us in a few words and the best entry will win a Solar Insect Theatre – perfect for the study of all sorts of butterflies, moths and other flying insects.